The Mugiwara Bond
by lennonjohnrzeznik
Summary: Their bond goes deeper than the sea. Their bond is harder than steel. Their bond is stronger than their fears. Luffy/Nami pairing. Hints of ZoRo. The summary will make sense on later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece. Master Oda does.

**Chapter 1**

"Dinner is ready, my lovely Robin-chwaaaan!", came Sanji's voice, his tone an octave higher on the end part of his sentence that ended with her name.

Robin looked up and chuckled at the look on their cook's face. Fluttering pink hearts all around him, his whole body wriggling and vibrating, slight drool on his face, a big pink heart instead of an eye under his unique, curly eyebrow.. Robin laughed, she's been subjected to this look many times now by their dear Sanji-kun, but it doesn't make it any less funny.

"Hai, arigatou Sanji-kun", Robin said with a smile on her face. She put down her shovel and stood up, her legs hurting a little by kneeling for too long. She looked at her flowers and beamed, they're growing beautifully.

"Would you like me to carry you to the dining room my love?", came Sanji's exaggerated reply.

"Iie, I'll be fine by myself Sanji-kun", Robin said. Robin removed her gloves and placed it beside the shovel. She climbed the ladder down towards the dining room and kitchen, leaving the wriggling cook behind her. When she got down, she turned around and saw the table beautifully loaded with delicious delicacies. An appetizing aroma filled the whole room and Robin could feel her stomach slightly rumbling. Robin smiled at the cook's effort as she went out the door to see where the others are. When she got outside, she leaned at the railing and looked down at the lush green lawn below her. She saw Usopp, Chopper and Luffy trying to climb the slide. They all tumbled backwards when they lost momentum. When they reached the bottom with a loud thud, Usopp and Chopper screamed in delight as Luffy laughed like there's no tomorrow. She shifted her eyes and saw the handsome Zoro sitting by the foremast shining his Wado Ichimonji. His other two swords are on the ground lying very close to him, the white case of his treasured blade not far behind. Brook sat by the swing drinking his tea with his own unique cup, his deadly violet cane leaning against the tree. She could hear Franky hammering away below deck. Nami was nowhere to be seen.

"Oi shitty bastards, eat!", Sanji said grudgingly, a little louder for everyone to hear as he appeared behind her. Robin turned to him and chuckled at the sudden change of mood of the cook. Luffy looked up to Sanji and Robin as soon as he heard Sanji's yell. He noticed the delicious smell coming from the door that Sanji accidentally left wide open. His stomach rumbled audibly and he smiled widely.

"MESHI!", Luffy yelled happily with his wide grin as he raised his arms in the air.

"MESHI, WOOHOO!", Usopp and Chopper yelled in unison as they too raised their hands in the air with happy faces, trying to imitate Luffy.

Still grinning, Luffy extended his arms and grabbed the railing as he shot himself up to the second floor, landing next to the raven haired beauty. Usopp and Chopper both ran and scrambled up the stairs to reunite with Luffy, spirits still high as the after effects of their play. Robin smiled at the three of them as the smell of grass from their clothes mixed with the aroma of the foods inside the dining room and kitchen.

Upon hearing Sanji's call, Zoro reached for the case of his Wado Ichimonji and sheathed his white sword. He grabbed hold on all the three blades and stood up as he tucked all three swords into his haramaki using his right hand. The white cloth he used for shining his sword lay discarded on the green grass. He would just get it later after dinner.

"Yohohoho", laughed Brook gently as he followed suit. The setting sun coated Thousand Sunny with a soft orange glow and birds were chirping peacefully above the calm skies that he was feeling a little sleepy and was about to doze off when Sanji called. He took one last gulp at his now turned cold tea and stood up, making the swing creak and move a little by his actions. He grabbed his cane and made his way to the dining room, getting behind the green-haired swordsman.

As Zoro and Brook went up the stairs, the hatch on the lawn opened with a loud thud. Luffy looked down at the lawn. His curious eyes were immediately greeted by Franky's light blue hair as the cyborg emerged from the hatch.

"Supeeer! I'm starving!", Franky said as he looked up at them with a grin on his face. They all grinned back in return. He closed the hatch and made his way upstairs. When Franky reached the second floor landing, he went inside the dining room as everybody settled down. Luffy sat down immediately, eyeing the cuisines on the table hungrily. Usopp and Chopper settled down at each side of Luffy, feeling excited to eat as well as they felt Luffy's contagious eagerness to eat. Brook sat beside Usopp and settled his special cup on the table, marveling at the magnificent presentation of the foods before them. Zoro quietly sat down in front of Brook, stomach also grumbling. Robin sat beside the green haired swordsman as Franky went to the fridge. Sanji, knowing what the cyborg desires, went to the kitchen and opened the fridge for Franky by pressing the numbers 7326.

"Arigatou!", Franky said, still grinning, as he reached inside and grabbed a big bottle of cola. He sat down at the sofa, next to the personalized sleeping Den Den Mushi of the strawhats, and chugged his big drink, feeling refreshed.

Sanji smiled and turned back to the kitchen. Luffy was already wolfing down foods, his rubber arms shooting at all directions as he tried to steal food on everybody's plates. Zoro grunted annoyingly, looking down his plate with a scowl on his face, as Luffy took his meatballs while Robin just chuckled and willingly gave hers. Usopp and Chopper were shielding theirs and trying to eat their meals quickly before Luffy takes them. Not wanting to deprive their captain of his happiness, Brook just laughed and made no attempt to stop Luffy as his whole plate was sent flying into their captain's wide and hungry mouth. Franky stood up and went over to the table to get some takoyaki. He chuckled as the normal chaos that occur everytime the strawhat's ate resumed around him.

Robin noticed Sanji still working in the kitchen. "Coming, cook-san?", she asked softly as she turned around to look at the cook. Luffy did not miss the opportunity and hurriedly grabbed Robin's serving of meat off of her plate. He grinned widely as if thinking that he just outsmarted the dark haired archeologist.

Sanji smiled at the statement of the dark haired woman but did not turn around. "Arigatou Robin-chan for your concern, I'm just preparing Nami-san's food. I'll bring it to her first, she must be starving by now", he said frowning a little at the thought of Nami.

The sudden change of mood in the room was slightly unnerving as their navigator's name was brought up. The whole room became quiet as the clanking of plates and utensils abruptly stopped. Luffy's arm stopped in mid motion as he frowned at Sanji's back, his right hand stopping just above Chopper's unguarded plate. Usopp also looked at Sanji with the same expression as Luffy's. Chopper looked down at his plate with a sad expression. He paid no mind to Luffy's right hand looming dangerously close to his dish as the little reindeer remembered the orange haired woman. Brook also stared at Sanji's back, his mouth hanging open and his face with a blank expression. Franky leaned down to put his bottle of cola down at the floor. He crossed his arms as he leaned back against the sofa, looking up at the ceiling as he felt the uneasy atmosphere. Zoro's right hand was halfway between his neck and mouth. He was in the middle of eating his sushi when the subject of Nami was brought up. He could feel the tension around him as he placed his untouched sushi back to his plate, feeling uncomfortable as the awkward silence consumed the whole room.

Sanji stiffened for a split second as he also felt the tension surrounding him before continuing preparing Nami's food. He cursed himself inwardly for bringing up the subject. Robin, noticing the stressed cook, frowned and stood up from her seat and walked over to Sanji. Sanji looked up with a shocked expression to the dark haired beauty. Robin just smiled at him.

"Let me help you with that cook-san", she said, still smiling.

"Ro-Robin-chan, you really don't have to-", Sanji said, feeling surprised by the archeologist's offer of help.

"Iie, I insist", she said with a definite tone as she reached over and poured soup into Nami's bowl.

Luffy put his arms back into their original state and crossed his arms, leaving Chopper's food untouched and completely forgotten.

"Is Nami still acting weird?", he asked with a confused and concerned expression, tilting his head to the side.

Chopper sighed and looked up with a frown at Sanji and Robin's back as they prepared Nami's food. "I wish she would let me examine her, I'm worried about her", the little reindeer said.

"Don't worry doctor-san, Nami-san is just fine, she just doesn't want to be disturbed, that's all", the archeologist said as she lined some sushi on a plate using chopsticks. Sanji, realizing that he cannot stop the raven haired beauty in her attempts to lend a hand, finally let her help him. He was now rummaging inside the fridge, deciding to make a sweet tropical drink for the girls and hoping that it would cheer his dear Nami-san even for just a little bit.

Chopper looked down again as his frown deepened at Robin's word, contemplating whether to believe it or not. It's been three days since Nami started acting all "weird", as Luffy would like to call it. And to be honest, Chopper couldn't find a more suitable word for Nami's behavior. She woke up one morning and just suddenly, she doesn't want to come out of her room except when she wants to take a bath. She doesn't want to talk, she doesn't eat with them, she leaves the navigating to Robin and only comes out when she sense danger that she knew Robin wouldn't be able to handle to navigate. She acts like she usually does when she takes over Robin, and they all thought that everything's back to normal again only to have their hopes crushed whenever she went back to her room when the weather stabilizes.

"Is she really not telling you anything Robin? You both share a room anyway..", Usopp asked, also weirded out but at the same time concerned at Nami's behavior.

"I'm afraid she doesn't longnose-kun", Robin said sadly. Robin placed the sushi loaded plate into the tray with a slight frown on her beautiful face. Much to her disappointment, her answer to Ussop is nothing but the truth. Nami refused to tell her anything, no matter how persistent she had been.

"She's sick, isn't she? She's sick and she doesn't want to tell us..", Chopper said sadly with a strained voice as he looked up at Robin. Robin turned around to look at the little doctor. She frowned when she saw that the reindeer were fighting back tears.

"She's not sick doctor-san, she just doesn't want to be disturbed, that's all..", Robin repeated kindly with a warm smile. She knows that her words offer little comfort but she's just telling the truth. Robin gets to spend the most time with Nami more than anyone in the crew since she's the only one who can access their room. Nami may not share to her what's wrong but that doesn't give Robin the right to be oblivious to what can be readily observed whenever she looks at their navigator. And because of that, Robin's certain at one thing. Nami's not sick. She's not sick at all. She doesn't look sick, she looks more.. Sad than sick, to be honest.

Chopper used his arm to wipe his teary eyes and looked down once again. He's still not convinced with Robin's answer.

They should be thankful, actually. They got the better end of the deal. Isn't it better that their navigator is sad instead of coming down with an unknown illness? Of course it is. Isn't it?

"_It's better, right?", _Robin asked herself.

Robin sighed and continued her work on Nami's tray. Sometimes she worries about her own answer to her self-imposed question. She's not saying that she wants Nami to be sick. It's just that Nami being sad brings about so many unwanted thoughts or scenarios inside her head. Maybe she's not happy with the crew anymore? Maybe they're too much of a burden for her, a hindrance in completing her dream? She thought about the many times when Luffy and the others accidentally ruined her maps.. She gripped the chopsticks in her hand tightly as her thoughts consumed her, sometimes being born with a curious and probing personality have its disadvantages.

"Robin-chan, are you okay?"

Robin broke out of her reverie and looked at Sanji who was looking at her with a concerned expression. She faked a smile and said, "Yes, I'm fine Sanji-kun", before turning to look at the tray again. She picked some takoyaki using the chopsticks and placed it on a plate.

Sanji continued to look at her with concern adorning his face, not sure whether to push the subject further or to let it go. He noticed the hand gripping the chopsticks rather tightly and the fake smile. He frowned and decided to let it go. He's not that insensitive for him not to know that Robin doesn't want further probing. First Nami-san and now Robin-chwan? Well that's just great. He continued with the drinks, feeling gloomy.

Robin's thoughts wandered again as she continued with her work. She had always been an insecure person. With that said, it's rather a unique and expected characteristic of her to expect the worst case scenario in order to avoid disappointments. Usopp and the others may take it as a joke when she says something morbid or ominous but in reality, that's just her way of coping with her fears. The word horrible would do no justice in describing her past life. She's determined not to return to that kind of existence anymore when she became a part of the strawhat crew. With them, she experienced happiness which felt so foreign for someone with a past like her. Being with them and knowing that she's not alone anymore is more than what she bargained for. She doubted if the crew even knew how deep her gratitude goes. It would be an understatement to say that the destruction of the crew is her greatest fear. If something terrible was ever to happen in this crew that she loves so much, it would be the death of her.

If her suspicions are correct and Nami is really not happy with them anymore, it would surely crush the whole crew. The whole crew would be devastated. The crew may not break up but the crew would never be the same again, on that she's sure. She shivered slightly at the horrible thought. Events of her past life unwillingly flashed through her mind as the possibility of the crew changing for the worse loomed before her. She accidentally dropped a takoyaki on the floor but she didn't notice it as fear made its way on her face.

Sanji paused in his work on the drinks as he noticed the takoyaki that Robin dropped. He looked at her face and immediately his eyes widened in shock and concern. He instantly moved closer to her and touched her shoulder.

"Robin-chan, what's wrong?", Sanji asked quietly, making sure that the others won't hear. They already have enough on their plate to worry about, they don't need another one.

Robin gasped and blinked several times when she felt someone touch her shoulder. She looked at the hand on her shoulder and then looked up to the person who owns it. She looked down sadly when she saw Sanji's concerned face.

"Robin-chan, what's bothering you?", Sanji asked again, fear evident in his voice. _"Please, not you too..", _he begged inwardly to himself.

Robin closed her eyes and furrowed her brows. She's going overboard with her thoughts again. She's exaggerating things too much, she should really stop this kind of line of thinking or it may become a habit. She opened her eyes as realization hit her. She should be ashamed of herself. She should've known better than to doubt the bond that the strawhats have. How could she think that something so petty would break up the whole crew? How could she think that Nami was ever capable of doing something that would destroy crew? How could she lack faith and trust in her own crew, especially to Nami?

She shook her head, she was being foolish. Everything's going to be fine. Maybe Nami is just going through a phase. For all she knows, her sadness may be something personal that doesn't concern the crew at all. How dare she jump into conclusions when she knows no better about Nami's situation as much as the crew does?

She looked up at Sanji and, this time, smiled genuinely. She felt guilty for worrying him when she knows that he's already beside himself with worry for their navigator.

"I'm okay now Sanji-kun, I'm sorry for worrying you", she said.

Sanji immediately noticed Robin's genuine smile as the raven haired beauty looked up at him. He smiled back at her as he removed his hand from her shoulder and picked up the takoyaki on the floor. He doesn't know if he should believe her or not but if she says that she's fine then it's enough reason for him to stop worrying, at least for now. He knows that she doesn't want them to worry about her too, especially now that everyone is concerned about Nami. He dropped the takoyaki on the trash and continued on with the drinks. He had to make sure that it's perfect for the two lovely ladies. _"This drink should cheer them up", _he thought happily to himself, a little smile making its way to his lips.

Everyone else was completely oblivious to Sanji and Robin's whispers at the kitchen. Nami still consumed their thoughts.

Luffy was thinking real hard. He still had his arms crossed and head tilted to one side while his handsome face showed a confused and concerned expression. He's worried, of course. He cares for all his nakama deeply. However, along with everyone else, he also doesn't understand what's happening to his navigator. He thought long and hard but he could only think of one solution.

"Hmm, I think she just needs more meat", he said, seriously contemplating whether to give Nami his share of meat for the night so as to make her feel better.

"Baka, that won't do anything", the green haired swordsman finally spoke. He too, had his arms crossed and his one eye closed as he listened to Luffy's stupid suggestion.

"Why? That always cheers me up!", Luffy answered a bit defensively, not understanding Zoro's point of view. Zoro just sighed and decided not to answer Luffy. _"It'd be a waste of time explaining things to this idiot", _he thought.

"Yohohoho, Luffy-san is amazing", Brook said, truly amazed at their captain's innocence and simple mindedness. "I think one round of my song White Handkerchief will do Nami-san good, if I may say. Yohohohoho!", the skeleton added, trying to cheer everyone up.

"Hm, Nami nee-chan seems to be feeling un-suuuupeeeer these past few days. Maybe re-designing the waver into an octopus would help her", Franky said, his hand on his chin and his face serious as he tried to think of more ridiculous designs.

"Do both of you really think she would like that, BAAAKAA", Usopp said incredulously with his face in a comical scowl as he turned and faced the cyborg and skeleton.

"_These shitty idiots.."_, Sanji thought as he finished the drinks. Robin was about to pick the tray with Nami's food but he beat her to it. Robin looked up at the cook and smiled when the cook said, "It's okay Robin-chan, I'll bring this to her, please continue with your eating".

"Arigatou, Sanji-kun", she said, knowing that the cook was doing it out of concern for their navigator and not for his own perverted reasons. After all, Sanji is a gentleman above anything else.

Sanji smiled and gave Robin her drink, ignoring Luffy's requests in the background to make him a drink too. Robin, drink on hand, walked to the dining and sat beside Zoro once again. Sanji placed Nami's special drink on her tray of food, slapping Luffy's hand away when the rubber man tried to steal it. The blonde activated his Busoshoku Haki for their captain to feel it. _"Shitty rubber captain", _he thought in annoyance.

Luffy shrieked in pain as he withdrew his hand and rubbed at the place where Sanji slapped it, trying to alleviate the pain. Usopp laughed, Robin chuckled and Brook yohohoho'ed. Chopper smiled a little and Zoro just sighed at their childish actions, opening his eye just in time to see Sanji smacking Luffy's hand. Franky was still seriously thinking about designs, oblivious to the events taking place around him.

Sanji picked up the tray, paying no attention to Luffy's complaints. He was almost at the exit when the door suddenly opened and there stood their beautiful navigator.

Everyone was silent as all of them looked at her in shock. Even Zoro had his brows raised at her. Franky broke out of his reverie and was now staring at Nami with mouth wide open in surprise.

"Na-Nami-san..", Sanji said, breaking the silence, still shocked to see Nami out of her room.

Nami's light brown eyes scanned the whole room. It's been awhile since she last saw them all together in one room. They were all looking at her, dumbfounded. Her eyes rested on the shocked blonde in front of her and she noticed the tray of food resting on his hands. She reached out grabbed the tray of food from the cook. Sanji, still surprised, was not able to do anything. She walked to the dining table, placed the tray in front of her and sat down beside Robin. Eyes followed her every move. It was silent for awhile until Luffy's face broke into a wide smile.

"NAAAAMI! You're here! Shishishi, I'm glad!", Luffy yelled happily . Nami looked at her captain, ears tingling at his sudden outburst. She noticed that his expression closely resembled his wanted poster.

"Hai, hai..", she said lazily, acting as if she doesn't care about her captain's concern. She picked a sushi from her plate and started to eat.

When they heard her speak, the mood inside the room changed instantly.

Many things happened all at once that Nami felt slightly flustered as all her nakama gathered around her.

Chopper jumped down from his chair and ran up to her, tears flowing freely from his eyes. He hugged her knees as he looked at her with a pained expression. Nami looked down at the crying little doctor, her heart breaking when she noticed his teary eyes.

"Nami! I was so worried! We were so worried! We.. We..", Chopper cried. The blue nosed reindeer cannot finish his sentence anymore as he cried harder; not finding the right words to say to make her realize the extent of worry she made him feel. But for Nami, his tears are more than words. Even words could not defeat the power of his tears for her to realize how much worry she caused her nakama to feel.

She looked around each and every one of them. They all looked so genuinely happy to finally see her out of her room. She felt a pang of guilt as she sensed a sign of relief mixed with their happy expressions, as if something heavy was lifted off of their shoulders.

"Suuupeeer! I was just about to go and make a suupeeeer new design for you waver-"

"AAHHH NAMI-SWAAAAAAN! MY LOVELY NAMI-SWAAAAN IS LOVELIER THAN EVER!"

"YOHOHOHO, I'm glad you're eating with us on this fine evening Nami-san! Now, would you let me look at your panties?"

"We should fine you for letting us worry like that you know", Usopp said, grinning at her.

"Or remove our debts on your list, especially mine", Zoro said, agreeing with the long nosed sniper, but also with a slight grin on his handsome face.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to her right. She saw Robin smiling warmly at her. "Welcome back navigator-san", she told her. She smiled back at her as she felt tears forming in her eyes, feeling overwhelmed by their actions. She looked back down at the crying reindeer and smiled at him too.

"Don't cry anymore Chopper, I'm here now", she said kindly as she wiped away his tears.

The little reindeer smiled back at her as tears stopped forming in his eyes. Her gentle smile at him made his heavy heart feel lighter. Chopper chuckled cutely as he wiped his eyes until his face was completely tear-free.

"_Minna, gomenasai.. I made you all worry..", _Nami thought as she looked up at them once again with a huge smile forming on her face. She did not need to say it out loud, they're family and she knew that no words are needed for them to understand each other.

Luffy's silly laugh remained dominant over the noise of the whole crew. "YOOOSH! Now that Nami's here..", he yelled as he raised his mug, "KAAANPAAAAIII!"

Zoro reluctantly raised his glass but he cannot hide the smile forming on his face. Robin raised hers happily, completely forgetting all about her thoughts earlier now that Nami's here. Chopper went back to his chair to get his mug while Usopp placed his arm around Luffy's shoulders as they both raised their mugs high. Franky leaned down to get his bottle of cola as Brook laughed while raising his own mug. Sanji reached over and grabbed his own drink, also smiling.

Nami just chuckled as she raised her own glass, looking at Luffy's happy face. _"These idiots.. Always finding a reason to kanpai.. This crew is the best...", _she thought as she felt her heart swell for the love she felt for each and every one of them.

"KANPAAAIIII!", they all yelled happily.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**PLEASE READ**

How is it? I hope it's not confusing.

This is supposed to be a one-shot and then I thought.. What a horrible one-shot, eh? I did not even say what Nami's freaking problem was. Anyway, I have some ideas for this story. If many of you wants me to continue this into a full fledged story, then please say so in your review. I must warn you though, when I continue this the rating may go up to T or maybe even M plus it's going to have Romance, Drama and a bit of Angst in it with the pairing LuNa and hints of ZoRo.

So the choice is yours my readers. If I get many reviews wanting me to continue it then I will but if not.. Well there's no point, right? Lol.

Anyway, one-shot or not I hope you all like it! It's very descriptive, I know, and some may not like it that way because I think it makes the fic a bit boring but that's how I write. I think writing descriptively leaves no room untouched for the reader's imagination.

Sanji may be a bit OOC. Do you agree? Hmm, I'm sorry for that. I wanted Sanji to act serious when situations are serious. If there are more characters that you think is OOC, please kindly tell me. I'll do something about it. I hate characters that are OOC, sorry for the strong word, so as much as possible I won't write them that way unless really, **really needed**.

Last but not the least, I'm terribly sorry for my wrong spelling/grammar/punctuation. English is not my mother language so please do forgive me if my mistakes disgusted you in any way, especially the OC's out there. I should know because I also possess that characteristic, hahaha! This is my second fic, the other one being a SasuSaku pairing Naruto fic. You may read it if you want but it's not finished. That story was saved at my old laptop and I was already 2 or 3 chapters ahead with it but then something horrible happened to my cursed laptop that is not even worth mentioning here. I was terribly depressed about it so I did not continue to write it anymore. I did not write for a long time after that incident, lol. I'm sorry!

Please don't flame me too much. Thank you and please review.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece. All hail Master Oda.

**Chapter 2**

After dinner, the strawhats went outside to the lawn except Sanji who stayed behind the kitchen to wash the dishes. The sky was no longer emitting the orange glow given by the sun earlier as the night came. The moon came out from hiding, basking the ship with a soft white glow. Nami felt the wind and instantly she knew that they're in for a calm night so they have nothing to worry about. She looked up the sky and saw the stars. _"Beautiful", _she thought. Out of her peripheral vision, Nami saw Usopp walk towards the railing.

"Oh, the city looks beautiful at night!", the sniper exclaimed, eyes widening.

Nami also looked over at the city._"Wow", _she thought, eyes also widening a little. Different colored lights from the buildings glowed like fireflies making the city look like a big amusement park. They were docked somewhere along the outskirts of a town they found earlier that day. They were running low on food and cola so, not wanting to go out of her room, she asked Robin a favor and told the raven haired woman to look for a town to resupply. Luckily, they found this town.

She saw Chopper and Luffy approach Usopp and they yelled with amazement as they also noticed the city's magnificence.

"Sugoi! Looks fun! I wanna go!", Luffy squealed excitedly as Chopper nodded vigorously at his statement.

"No, you're staying here", Sanji said, emerging from the kitchen. Everyone looked up at him. He took a cigarette from the pocket inside his suit and lit it up.

Luffy looked at Sanji with pleading eyes when he realized the meaning of the words that came out of the cook's mouth. "Demo Sanji-", he complained.

"No, we talked about this, you're staying here. It's your punishment for eating all the food in the pantry", Sanji said, his voice serious. _"Shitty rubber, he can even eat unprocessed food now, seems like we also need a lock for the pantry", _he thought. He took a drag and then held his cigarette using his right hand, removing it from his mouth, as he exhaled a puff of smoke. He placed his left hand inside his pants pocket and looked at their captain sternly.

Luffy cringed involuntarily as he remembered Sanji's beating when the cook found out about his trespassing. He couldn't help it, Usopp and Chopper was too busy to play with him back then and he was starving. He was so hungry and bored at that time.

"It's not even cooked so I didn't really enjoy it! I won't do it again!", Luffy begged.

Sanji frowned in annoyance at Luffy's words. It's as if the rubber idiot is expecting that it is supposed to be some sort of a consolation for the cook that he did not even enjoy eating the unprocessed foods. "You're staying here", he said for the third time.

Luffy, knowing that Sanji won't budge with his decision, turned and looked at Zoro for help instead. He saw the swordsman picking something up near the foremast. "Zorooo-", he whined.

The swordsman sighed as he tucked the white cloth he used earlier for shining his swords inside his pocket. "Ero-cook's right", he said. Sanji's face turned into a deep scowl as he yelled, "What did you say, you shitty Marimo?!" when he heard the hateful nickname that Zoro baptized him with. However, Zoro paid no mind to him as he faced his begging captain. "There's a marine base here, it's too troublesome to get caught by them", he continued to say to Luffy as he remembered the countless times when the rubber idiot managed to get them into trouble.

"We're not gonna get caught! We'll just fight them off!", Luffy said proudly, slightly annoyed at Zoro for siding with Sanji.

"Baka, didn't we decide to go to the city at night so that there's less of a chance for us to get caught and get into a fight?", Usopp explained, head swaying from side to side and tongue clicking disapprovingly at their captain's rash decision.

Sanji went down the stairs and joined the strawhats at the lawn before saying, "Only those who need to buy something gets to go. Be sure to buy everything you need, we're gonna have to leave early morning to avoid detection by the marines."

"I need to buy meat!", Luffy said right away as he raised his right hand, still attempting to go to town. However, Sanji ignored Luffy's pathetic excuse and turned to Franky.

"Franky, if you don't mind, I need you to buy a lock for the pantry. I can't attend to it anymore. I have to buy a month's worth of food. It might be awhile before we could find an island again. I'm not taking any chances.", he told the cyborg.

"I'm on it! I also need to buy new equipments anyway", Franky answered as he grinned. He gave Sanji the thumbs up. Sanji smiled, appreciating the cyborg's cooperation.

"I also need to go to a nearby bookstore. I believe Chopper also needs to go too?", Robin stated as she looked over at the little reindeer with a smile.

"Un!", answered Chopper happily as he ran over Robin's side. Luffy watched Chopper leave his side with a frown.

They didn't notice Brook emerging from the men's quarters. He was holding his green guitar. "Yohohoho, Sanji-san, I hope you won't mind if I go along too? I need new strings for my guitar, you see", Brook explained as he held up his guitar for the cook to see the broken strings. Sanji just nodded as he took another drag from his cigarette.

"I'll go too", Zoro said. Sanji's eyebrow twitched as he turned around to look at the swordsman. "You have no business in town, shitty swordsman", he said annoyingly.

"Stop ordering me around dart brow", Zoro said calmly.

"You'll cause us trouble as much as Luffy can, you national treasure!", yelled Sanji.

"I need equipments to shine my swords eyebrow freak, why the hell should I listen to you?", Zoro exclaimed, not able to contain his annoyance anymore. Sanji ticked.

"YOU WANNA FIGHT MARIMO?!"

"I'LL TAKE YOU ON ANYTIME ERO-COOK!"

Zoro unsheathed all his three swords while Sanji raised his leg. Their faces wore a comical scowl as both of them emitted an aura of fierce fury. Luffy's laugh can be heard on the background, he always find it funny to see Zoro and Sanji annoy each other. The others, except Robin who was smiling, just sighed. They're already used to their extreme bickering. Sanji's left leg was about to turn red, activating his Diable Jambe, when Usopp stood between them.

"Oi, yamero, you two! This isn't the time for that!", Usopp said, exasperation evident in his voice. _"Really, these two are hopeless", _he thought.

Both men calmed down when they saw Usopp standing between them. "Tch, I'm going cook", Zoro said with a hint of annoyance as he sheathed his swords. Sanji just turned away from him muttering profanities. He walked over to the railing and looked at the city. He sighed. If he can't stop the shitty swordsman, then..

"Oi Usopp, go with that marimo. If he gets lost, it's trouble for us", he said as he turned around to look at Usopp.

Usopp frowned but then remembered that he also needed to buy something for his latest invention. He smiled and said, "Leave it to me!"

Zoro just grunted. He has no problem going with Usopp but that cook is really annoying him. Since when did he get lost? Besides, the town isn't that big. Only a moron would get lost in a town that small. _"Whatever, I don't want to fight with that Ero-cook anymore", _he thought grudgingly.

"All right, that settles it. Be back as soon as possible", Sanji said as he prepared to jump down on the ground below. Everyone followed suit and made their way to the railing. Luffy groaned loudly with a big frown on his face as he watched each of his nakama preparing to jump down below. He felt so sad. He sat down on the grass and crossed his arms.

Sanji was about to jump when he heard Luffy groan. _"Wait a minute", _he thought.

Sanji released his hold on the railing and stood up straight at the lawn once more. He looked at Luffy who was sitting on the ground and just stared at him, his mind in a daze. Robin noticed the cook's actions and also released her hold on the railing. She looked at Sanji with a confused expression. The other strawhats also stopped moving, their poses on the railing awkward as they turned to look at Sanji to know what the hold-up was all about. Even Zoro was curious.

However, Sanji paid them no mind. Sanji was wearing an unusual expression, as if a beautiful woman just slapped him across the face. Luffy, noticing the weird expression on the cook's face and still a bit annoyed at Sanji's disapproval of letting him go to town, said bluntly, "What's wrong Sanji? You look ugly."

With Luffy's statement, Sanji's consciousness returned. He ignored Luffy's jibe. Instead, he looked at his other crewmates near the railing, eyes wild, and yelled (except at his Robin-chwan), "Who the hell will guard this idiot?! We just can't leave him alone here! Who knows what he'll do while we're gone!"

The rest of the crew stared at Sanji for a brief second, a little surprised at his tone of voice, before realization also hit them. They all released their hold on the railing and looked at Luffy, all wearing a problematic expression. _"Oh yeah, we forgot about that..", _they thought.

Luffy heard what Sanji said and his frown deepened. At first he got annoyed at Sanji's statement. It's not like he'll call or get noticed by the marines or do anything in line with that intentionally. If ever that happens, they should know that it's an accident and purely non intentional. He didn't mean any of the bad stuff that happens, anyway. It was all an accident, can't they understand that?

He was about to tell Sanji off but then his big brain thought of something utterly amazing. _"If they leave me here alone.. Hmm.. Then I could sneak out to town! If I made it back on the ship before them, they won't even know a thing!", _he thought. His eyes went wide and he smiled. His somber mood was immediately replaced by that of excitement. The prospect of sneaking out made everything all the more exhilarating, nearly quenching Luffy's thirst for adventure after a long week of nothing but calm skies and tranquil waters.

"Hahahaha! You're funny Sanji! I'll be fine by myself! I won't do anything!", Luffy yelled happily. He grinned widely at the cook.

Sanji looked at their captain and felt himself tick at the idiotic expression that the rubber idiot was wearing. He could feel the tip of his eyebrow twitch as he took another drag, trying to calm his nerves. _"Does he think I'm stupid?", _he thought angrily. He clicked his tongue and then walked over to where his captain sat.

Luffy watched as the cook slowly walked the short distance between them. His grin widened. _"This is going to be so much fun", _he thought, oblivious of the fuming aura of the cook. He could feel Sanji towering above him and he looked up, smile still in place.

Without warning the cook raised his leg and thumped Luffy hard on the head. Luffy yelled in pain while the others cringed. _"That must've really hurt", _they thought. The blonde had, no doubt, activated his haki. He never fully appreciated the usefulness of his newfound power until now. It was proving itself more useful over the past few days.

Luffy clutched his throbbing head, eyes firmly shut. It hurt like hell! That may have been the strongest kick Sanji had ever laid on him so far. He's starting to regret being too relaxed around his nakama. He thought about the various thumps that they willingly give him, especially from Nami and Sanji, and decided that from now on he would always activate his Kenbunshoku and Busoshoku Haki. Nami's thumps ain't so bad, it doesn't really 'hurt' him per se. But still, any normal person in the world (though he's far from being normal) wouldn't want constant knocking on their head, right?

When the pain subsided a little, he stood up and yelled, "Dammit SanjI! What was that for?!"

"It's for your stupidity you shitty rubber! If it hurt you that much that means you have no brain at all!", Sanji retorted. His cigarette fell on the grass between them. He stepped on it to extinguish the small fire and picked it up; he'll be damned by Franky if he left it there. He felt something on his mouth and spit it out on his hand. To his surprise, it's his cigarette butt. He must've chewed on it too much due to his rage. _"Dammit, another good cigarette wasted, and it's all because of this idiot", _he thought angrily.

"I didn't do anything!", Luffy bellowed. He was starting to feel angry too, not entirely because of Sanji's kick, but mainly because of the possibility that his plan might be compromised.

"I'm not stupid like you, I know you'll sneak out the moment we set foot on the island!", Sanji yelled back. He reached for his coat pocket and tried to light another cigarette, trying and failing to calm his nerves. He didn't mean to hit Luffy that hard but sometimes the extent of the rubber man's stupidity really put him over the edge.

Luffy groaned in annoyance and sat back down forcefully on the lawn. He lowered his hat on his head, covering his eyes, and crossed his arms. Dammit, he really thought he could get away with it. It was the perfect plan!

When Luffy made no indication to fight back, Sanji glanced back at the others near the railing. He noticed their expressions and shook his head. They were amused at the scene before them, to say the least. Sanji glanced at the starry skies and thought, _"We don't have much time, we have to go now.."_

Sanji turned his back on the mumbling Luffy and faced the others. He took a much needed drag and cleared his throat before saying, "So much for that. We have to go, who will volunteer and stay behind with this idiot?" He pointed his thumb behind him, towards Luffy.

They all looked away from him. Chopper tried to hide behind Robin and the dark haired archeologist tried to avoid his eyes by smiling down on the little reindeer clutching her leg. Not that he would ever stop his dearest Robin-chwan from going of course. Franky placed both of his gigantic hands behind his head, eyes suddenly interested on the moon above them. He couldn't let Franky babysit anyway, he desperately needed a lock and Franky was the best man for the job. Who else in this crew knows the best lock out there but him? Brook turned his back on him with his guitar, held on by a leather strap, gracing his back, as if reminding him of his purpose in town. He looked at Usopp, his last hope, but the sniper was wearing this goofy grin on his face and just pointed at Zoro. He didn't even bother to look at the monstrosity at the end of Usopp's pointed finger. He felt that if he even saw a glimpse of Zoro's face now, he would just go berserk.

Sanji sighed. Dammit, he thought, why must this rubber idiot always complicate things? There was a moment of awkward silence.

Finally, Sanji decided, "Chopper, stay behind with Luffy".

Chopper gave a jolt and clutched Robin's leg tighter. "But I need to go to the bookstore!", Chopper whined. Robin gave Sanji a small frown, obviously not happy with his decision.

Sanji closed his eyes. He didn't want to see his Robin-chwan's frown. It's like daggers digging into his heart. But he had no choice, someone must stay behind. "I'm sorry Chopper but unless someone stays behind, none of us can go to town", he tried to explain.

Chopper frowned and tried to think of an excuse to change Sanji's mind. He really wanted to go to town. He wanted to see the bright lights and he wanted to know if there are any new medical books that he can buy. When the reindeer can't think of anything to convince Sanji, he turned to his last hope: Robin. The little reindeer tugged at Robin's pink sari-like skirt and tried to put on his cutest pouting face so far.

Robin looked down at Chopper and her eyes soften. Robin always has a soft spot for Chopper. After all, who in the world could resist the cutest pout she had ever seen in her life?

She looked at Sanji and said bluntly, "I'm sure Usopp will be happy to volunteer".

"What?!", Usopp bellowed, not believing what he heard.

Usopp could feel Sanji's eyes shift from Chopper to him. He looked at Sanji and tried to say, "Wa-wait a minute, wh-what about Zoro-kun? We wouldn't want him to get lost now, would we? R-right?". Usopp looked at Sanji with wild eyes, as if trying to remind Sanji to be reasonable.

Sanji sighed and said regrettably, "Usopp's right Robin-chwan. It'll be bad for us if marimo got lost." Sanji turned away from Robin, knowing that what he said brought another sad frown on his beautiful archeologist. "Chopper, you have to stay", he said, his tone ringing with finality. Usopp let out a sigh of relief. Chopper's eyes squinted angrily.

"But I don't want to stay here!", Chopper whined.

"You have no choice Chopper, you have to!", Usopp said, afraid that Sanji might change his mind once more.

"You don't have business in town! You're the one who should stay!", Chopper yelled at Usopp.

The two started bickering loudly.

"I do have business in town! Plus, I need to watch Zoro!"

"My business in town is much more important than yours!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is!"

Usopp was getting irritated and advanced towards Chopper. Chopper turned into his "human form".

"Oi, stop it you two", Zoro said. But they did not seem to hear the swordsman.

"Why you-!", they both yelled.

"I'll babysit him", a lone voice said.

Everyone turned their head at the direction of the voice and their eyes widened as they saw Nami standing just a few feet away behind Luffy. They totally forgot about her. Maybe it was because they were getting used to her being locked up in her room for the past week.

"Na-Nami-san..", Sanji muttered, his visible eye wide with disbelief. He can't believe that he failed to notice the beauty standing behind him until now.

Nami furrowed her brows, crossed her arms in front of her and sighed. She watched everything that transpired between her nakama and was a little annoyed that they seem oblivious to her presence. When she sensed that Usopp and Chopper weren't doing just some friendly banter, she decided to finally make her presence known. Further irritated by their reaction, she thought, _"What the hell's wrong with them?" _Even Luffy was looking at her with a dumb expression. Well, dumber than his usual anyway.

"I don't have to go to town, I'll watch over him", she said.

Sanji blinked a few times, trying to snap his mind out of its daze, then said, "But Nami-san, don't you want to explore the town? It's beautiful!". Sanji tried to convince the beautiful navigator. She already spent too much time locked up in her room. She needs to go out, at least beyond the boundaries of Sunny.

Nami tilted her head at the side as she considered the cook's suggestion. The town did look absolutely amazing and it's been awhile since her feet touched solid ground. However, she had other plans. "No, I'll stay here. Don't you need someone to guard Luffy?", she said and raised her eyebrows.

"Y-yes, but-", Sanji started to mutter but his pathetic reasoning was cut short by his arch nemesis.

"Well, that's settled then. Let's go.", Zoro said. Without a second's warning, Zoro jumped down from the railing. The fight on the lawn had gone on long enough and the night isn't getting any younger. He wanted to sleep, more than anything else. He just wanted to go to town, buy his shining equipments, return to Sunny and get this whole fiasco over with. He wanted to get out of the island as soon as possible; it caused enough distress to his nakama already.

"H-hey wait up, Zoro! You'll get lost!", Usopp yelled. Without looking back at Chopper and the rest, the sniper jumped over the railing and joined Zoro in his walk towards town.

Soon enough the rest of the straw hats, except Sanji, started to leave the Sunny. Chopper, in particular, was literally dragging Robin. He was afraid that Sanji might force him again to guard Luffy so he wasn't taking any chances. They all nodded their thanks to Nami and then waved and said their goodbye's to Luffy, promising to buy him a big amount of meat on their return. However, it did little to lift their captain's mood. Luffy looked at them with pleading eyes and a frown like no other. He never waved goodbye to any of them, he felt annoyed and a little betrayed. How could they leave him?

Brook was the last one to dismount the ship, bowing to Nami before laughing his way down. Soon enough only Sanji, Luffy and Nami remained on the lawn.

Luffy groaned loudly and lay down on the lawn. It's final, he's really staying on the ship and the thought itself sickens him. He sighed. At least he would have tons of meat when the rest got back, but still, the adventure he was missing out on was too much of a lost for him.

A moment of silence passed them by, only broken by Luffy's occasional whimpering. Nami looked at Sanji and wondered how long the cook was going to stand there. When Sanji made no sign to leave the ship, Nami sighed. "Sanji-kun, you have to go. You're wasting time", she said.

Sanji's big frown turned deeper at her statement. He really wanted her to go out and enjoy herself. They could shop for clothes, buy new shoes and perfumes and maybe even have a nice midnight walk around the park. It'll be the perfect date for the perfect couple! Sanji's eyes started to flutter as his thoughts took a wrong turn. All sense of urgency flew out of his dazed mind, so what if there are Marines in town? It doesn't matter as long as he's with his beautiful, precious Nami-swan. He cleared his throat and decided that he's going to persuade Nami to go into town. He won't allow her to miss the most romantic night of her life.

Nami felt her face twitch as she saw a hint of drool on Sanji's open mouth. In an instant, the navigator knew what the cook was thinking. She glared at him, hoping against hope that her disapproval would get through thru his thick, lovesick head.

He started to speak but the look on Nami's face stopped him from convincing her of his plans. "I'm staying here Sanji-kun", she said firmly.

"But Nami-san-!"

"I'm staying!", she half yelled at him. Arms still crossed in front of her, she clicked her tongue and glared at Sanji's beseeching eyes. She knew that he, along with the others, had been very worried about her due to her odd behavior over the past week and that underneath the cook's perverted fantasies, there's that small part of him that really wanted her to go out and enjoy herself. She appreciated that, really, mainly because she knew the good intentions that lie within the perverted thoughts. However, she was not lying when she said that she really had no intention to go to town. She had other plans to spend the night and she just wished that the blonde would take the hint and leave her alone with her decision.

Sanji, taken aback, just stared at her with pleading eyes but when Nami's glare did not falter, he sighed. He hated it when his precious angels get mad at him, it breaks his poor heart! He gave in; she's not giving him much of a choice in the first place.

"Okay Nami-swan, I understand now. I'm sorry.", he said with an apologetic tone. Upon his request for forgiveness, her eyes softened slightly and she gave him a small smile. The cook smiled in return.

"This is so lame", Luffy muttered to no one in particular. He'd been completely oblivious of the tension between his navigator and cook. He was still sulking about all the fun and adventure that he was missing out on.

Both Sanji and Nami looked down at their captain lying on the lawn. They nearly forgot that they were not the only ones on the ship. Luffy's eyes were directed at the stars above them but his unfocused gaze and gloomy expression tells that his mind was obviously on the town beyond. Nami rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly. Typical Luffy, she thought. Sanji took a drag and placed his hands inside the pocket of his pants. _"It's because of this idiot that my dear Nami-swan had to stay here", _he thought angrily.

Without warning, Sanji shoved the heel of his shoe on Luffy's forehead. Luffy gave a little jolt of surprise but made no attempt to remove Sanji's foot away. He felt too depressed to care much about anything else, let alone his forehead.

Sanji stepped harder on Luffy's rubber forehead before saying, "Listen up you shitty rubber, you better behave yourself. If you give Nami-san even just a tiny bit of trouble, it's me that you'll have to deal with. I'll kick your ass in ways your stupid brain can't even begin to comprehend. You got that?"

Nami watched as Luffy gave an incomprehensible small noise. She half expected Sanji to try and get a much more concrete response from Luffy but it seemed like a good enough answer for the cook. She watched as the blonde gave a final push on the rubber boy's poor forehead before removing his foot.

"Good, we've reached an agreement then", he said firmly. He then looked at Nami.

"Nami-san, I'll bring a baby den den mushi just in case. Call me whenever this dolt gives you trouble or when you need something in town", he told Nami softly with a small smile.

Nami smiled in return before saying, "Hai, arigatou Sanji-kun".

She watched as Sanji disappeared in one of the rooms on deck, undoubtedly to look for the baby den den mushi. When she heard Luffy mutter something rude about the blonde, she heaved a sigh and looked at the poor figure whimpering and cursing underneath her. She frowned when she saw him rub his now reddish forehead. She had to admit, she felt sorry for the guy. It was painstakingly obvious that he wanted to go to town more than anyone else. She could almost feel his disappointment diffusing throughout her own body and she shivered at the weird feeling. Sometimes, it's hard to believe that Luffy is the captain of one humungous and powerful ship, let alone a mighty crew such as them. The way he was treated on a daily basis, it was like he was at the bottom of the food chain. He was definitely lacking the kind of respect a captain of a 'notorious' pirate ship deserves. Not that she's complaining, mind you, since she's one of the main torturers anyway. But it's not like she enjoyed whacking and punching the guy. It's just that his stupidity, antics and idiosyncrasies was just a little too much for someone with a minute patience like her.

She heard a door close and her mind drifted back to reality. She turned her head and saw Sanji emerging from one of the rooms, tucking the baby den den mushi inside his pocket. He reached them after a few long strides. He bowed at Nami then said, "Shall I take my leave now, mademoiselle?". He completely ignored Luffy's dagger-like glare at him.

"Go, you've wasted too much time already", Nami urged, rolling her eyes at the exaggerated chivalry of the cook.

"If I bring back something nice for you will you love me more, Nami-swaaaaan?", the cook exclaimed. All the frustration and annoyance that he felt awhile ago for the rubber boy flew out of the window as his whole demeanor turned into his usual love mode.

Nami closed her eyes and shook her head at the cook's sudden change of mood. He can be so fickle at times when it comes to his emotions. He could be fighting an all out war with Zoro and then he could be swooning over her and Robin the next second. Not wanting to deal with his nonsense, she said the only thing that she could think of: the easy way out kind of answer, "Hai, hai". Although far from the truth, Kami knows she could never possibly love Sanji more than a nakama, she doesn't care. She just wanted him to be on his way.

Sanji, oblivious of the navigator's lazy tone, literally screamed in delight. He wiped his drool and the little blood trickling from his nose before saying to himself, "Yosh! I'll buy all the perfect ingredients and the perfect gift for my angels!". Feeling fired up with his new vigor, he started to run towards the railing. With a wide smile, he took one last look at his dear Nami-swan and then said, "I'll be back as soon as possible Nami-swan, remember to call me in you need anything!". Nami just nodded in return. Without further ado, he jumped down and ran towards town.

Now, there was only Luffy and Nami onboard.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

****To **Daseki no** **Kama**,you have my utmost gratitude for reviewing! I will try my best to abide by your request. Since my main pairing is Luffy/Nami, I need to work on Luffy and Nami's relationship first, more than anything else. There would definitely be **hints** of ZoRo but I'm afraid that it would take a few more chapters for that. I deeply hope that you like this chapter though. :)

Rating may change to **M** on the next chapter. Actually, there's a high possibility for that. I just don't want to finalize it because I've never done an M-rated before and I'm not that sure if I can pull it off. Haha.

To whoever's reading this story (are there any?), I'm sorry for the late update. The lack of reviews really disappointed me and it made me kinda lazy to continue it. I don't want to write if my heart's not in it. Writing should be for fun. :)

I'm also sorry for the slow pacing of the story. I promise you (especially those who love the Luffy/Nami pairing), the story will be interesting from here on out. Forgive me for the wrong spelling/grammar/punctuation in this chapter.

Last but not the least, this chapter is dedicated to my boyfriend who encouraged me to continue writing. I had fun writing this chapter because of him. Happy 50th month. ;)

Review please? :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece. Oda-sensei does.

**Chapter 3 (M-Rated)**

She looked at the starry night sky above her before closing her eyes. She felt peace overwhelm her whole being. She breathed in the air and she shivered a little as she felt the cold wind enter her lungs. She could hear the sound of the crickets blending with the soft whoosh of the night air. She could hear the rustling of the leaves complimenting the natural sound of night. It was the perfect sonata, that is until she heard a loud, obnoxious snore.

Her eyebrows twitched and she looked down at her feet. Her eyes met the source of the repulsive sound and she growled in annoyance as she saw Luffy's drooling mouth open and close in an almost rhythmic pattern. It was making the most horrible noise, almost like the roar of a vicious lion. Apparently, the rubber boy fell asleep. Nami doesn't know when, exactly, since Sanji left them only a few seconds ago. Honestly, she couldn't be bothered. Her captain could go and sleep in the ocean for all she cares.

His loud snoring was putting her on the edge and, she was certain, that if she doesn't put at least a good 50 feet distance between them, her pointy heel would soon be stuck on his eyeball. It would be such a pity to ruin a perfectly good and expensive shoe. So, without much of a second thought, she left and hurriedly went to the kitchen.

As her feet dragged her further and further away from Luffy, the sound of his snoring was slowly reduced to an almost hum-like sound. The peace she felt before gradually came back to her. It seemed that distance with Luffy meant peace of mind. _"That baka, he's annoying whether he's conscious or unconscious", _she thought irritably. When she reached the kitchen and shut the door, Luffy's snore completely faded and she instantly got the silence that she craved for.

She looked around the room. The lights were off and only a little moonlight made it through the windows, but even in the dark she knew that the kitchen was made spotless once again by Sanji as she inhaled the mild lemony scent of the dishwashing soap that the cook was fond of. She sighed and smiled to herself. Finally she was alone, just the way she wanted it. She walked over to the big fridge and punched in the code. On the back of her mind, she thanked the gods responsible for making her a woman worthy enough of Sanji's special treatment. Well, it's not like he's particular when it comes to women anyway. Still, she believed that her unique beauty and youth certainly have some plus points somehow. She rarely appreciated Sanji's love for women but this was a one-time exception. If not for his perverted mind, she might not have access to the fridge like most of the crew.

After punching the code, the fridge let out a quiet 'ding' of approval. She grabbed the handle and pulled. After a little straining, the fridge opened and the clinking and clanking sound of the bottles within broke the silence. She let out a grunt and shook her strained hands; it was not easy to open such a big fridge with a petite body like hers. The yellow light of the fridge filled a small portion of the kitchen and she squinted a little, trying to adapt her eyes to the sudden brightness. While rummaging inside, she felt the cold air emitted by the fridge snake its way through her arms and almost bare torso. She shuddered and tried her best to find the object of her interest a little faster.

"_Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?", _she thought to herself, repeating it over and over again like some sort of mantra.

She felt herself shiver again and her teeth began to chatter. "Seriously, is it normal for a fridge to be this cold?", she said quietly to herself. However, as soon as the words left her mouth, she instantly thought, "_Who am I kidding? Since when can you acquire some sense of normalcy in this ship anyway?_"

After a few more minutes of searching and rummaging, the sense of disappointment started to make its way through her mind. She was beginning to think that she won't be able to locate the object of her desire. She frowned; that item was the essence of her plan for tonight. If she did not find it, her whole plan would be ruined. Her eyebrows furrowed and her disappointment was quickly replaced by that of annoyance. _"Rotten luck", _she thought.

She was about to give up looking, she was freezing and she felt like sneezing, but before her discouraged spirit and impatient nature won her over, a big bottle tucked away safely at the very back of the fridge caught her attention. She smiled widely and almost jumped out of joy when she looked at it closely and realized what it was. _"Finally, I found you!", _she thought. She reached further inside and grabbed the neck of the bottle tightly. When the bottle was well away from the inside of the fridge, she studied it with the help of the fridge's yellow light. She had to be sure that it was what she was looking for.

She giggled to herself when she proved her assumptions correct. _"This is definitely it!", _she thought. The bottle felt very cold under her thin grasping fingers and, even though she was complaining of the cold awhile ago and was still slightly shivering, she can't deny that the feel of the icy bottle thrilled her. Excitement started to build up inside her and she sighed happily.

She examined the cap of the bottle closely and realized that it hadn't been opened yet; it was brand new. She thought for a while and frowned a little. She closed the fridge, with more force than intended, and let the darkness engulfed her once again. She proceeded to sit down at the dining table, slammed the bottle at the table in front of her, stared at it, crossed her arms and legs and started to consider her next actions.

To be honest, she was a little wary with her plan. She knew from the start that she could get into trouble for what she's trying to do but, despite the possible consequences that might transpire, she still decided to go through with it. And now, she's actually halfway through her plan's fruition. All she had to do now was to grab the bottle and go to her room. Simple, right? However, after seeing the sealed cap bottle, she began to doubt a little bit more than actually necessary. After all, it was only a bottle of sake. She could get sake anytime and anywhere she wanted, she had no trouble in that department. However, that comes with an exception. She can get and drink any sake except the one in front of her: Zoro's bottle of sake.

She sighed. Why she opted for the swordsman's sake was still a surprise for her. If it's alcoholic drinks she's looking for, there are more than a variety of wines stored in that small cupboard in the aquarium bar room, all handpicked by Sanji to be the best of the best. She had one problem with it though. Most of the wines stored there are mostly used for cooking and are quite mild. She was certain that Sanji won't have any problem with her even if she chugged down everything and leave him with nothing to cook with; however, she's not looking for mild. She's looking for hard, real hard liquor.

She raised her head at the ceiling and tried to weigh the consequences of her actions. She knew how much the swordsman likes his sake. _"Hmm, except this bottle of sake", _she thought warily.

She looked at the source of her dilemma once more with a frown. She was 100% sure that Zoro doesn't like the bottle of sake in front of her, he **loves** it. It was probably the reason why it was still sealed shut even after months of purchase. He must have been saving it for a special occasion, she thought, since it would be impossible even for someone as dimwitted as Zoro to just forget a 100,000 beli purchase of one bottle of sake. That kind of stupidity was strictly exclusive to Luffy's brain. If she remembered correctly, the swordsman bought it at an island known for its reputation as having the best alcohol in all the lands. Not wanting to deprive himself the satisfaction that good sake brings, the swordsman bought the best and the most expensive one that he could find. The sake he bought was so good that even Sanji, although very subtle, complimented the swordsman's choice of alcohol. The cook didn't actually gave him his praise openly, he'd be damned if he granted the swordsman that kind of satisfaction. Instead, he hid his compliments underneath his taunts and jibes after finding Zoro terribly lost at a nearby off-limits forest of the town. Zoro's trampling on the town's holy forest led to the strawhats desperate escape from the forks and torches of the townspeople.

She chuckled slightly at the memory. Good times, she thought. She sighed and held the ice cold and now sweaty bottle. "What now?_", _she said to herself, stupidly half expecting someone to answer for her just to clear her mind of her own predicament. Her mind wanted her to put the bottle back inside the fridge to save her the trouble that tomorrow would bring once Zoro found out about her treachery. Not to mention the horrible hangover that was sure to come. It was the most logical thing to do anyway. However, her heart wanted the bottle of sake selfishly for her own desires. She wanted its bitter taste overwhelm her, she wanted to feel the burning sensation of it traveling down her throat, she wanted to subject herself to the exhilarating warmth it brings the moment it mixes itself with her blood and she wanted, most of all, to fall into its mind-numbing trap.

Flashes of suppressed memories bombarded her mind, the kind of memories that are buried deep within the pool of her sorrows and regrets, the kind that she wanted forgotten and remembered both at the same time.. Blood, tears, screams of agony, the ear piercing sound of a gunshot..

"Bellemere..", she gasped.

She closed her eyes tightly as she tried to stop the images from devouring her being. Oh, how she wanted to open the bottle and drink it right here and now. _"No, no..", _she thought and she gripped the bottle as if it was her only lifeline. Her nakama doesn't deserve the worry and horror of seeing her in such a drunken, horrible state. She already gave them a week of agonizing worry and sorrow. She couldn't possibly forgive herself if she trampled on their feelings any more than she already did.

If she's going to do this, she thought, she had to do it right. She had to at least pick a proper place for her to get wasted. And what better place than her room, right? She was sure that Robin would understand the indication of a locked door. The archeologist was not the kind to invade one's privacy anyway. Robin might pry and ask a little too much at times, mostly out of concern, but she always knew when enough is enough. It was a trait of the dark haired woman that Nami was thankful for.

With revived determination and an almost broken soul, Nami stood and almost ran out of the room. With bottle on hand, she made a quick getaway from the kitchen to the woman's quarters. She felt her eyes began to water as the cold wind of the night hugged her and tossed her long, wavy hair around in all directions. But she did not let the tears fall; it was not the time to cry yet. She half ran and half sprinted. She didn't care if she tripped or fell, she ignored Luffy's detestable snore and she paid no mind to the starry night sky that calmed her only a few minutes ago. She only had one thought in her mind as she crossed the lawn in quick paced steps: to forget everything even for just one night.

* * *

Luffy slowly opened his eyes and immediately he saw the endless universe above him. He stretched, yawned, rubbed his sleepy eyes and tried to sit down. He stared, frog faced, at nothing for the longest time. His body was awake but his mind was still trapped in dreamy meat island. Suddenly, he sneezed.

He felt himself shiver as the cold wind brushed past him and he hugged himself in an attempt to keep himself warm. The sneeze seemed to reset his stunned brain as he took in his surroundings, suddenly alert and fully awake. He sniffed back the snot threatening to drip from his nose as he wondered where everyone was. He stood up and looked around him. When he saw no sign of them, he scratched his head in wonder. That was when he felt the big lump that Sanji bestowed upon him just a few minutes ago. Or was it hours ago? He wasn't sure. He flinched when he felt the throbbing pain it made as his untrimmed nails made contact with it.

"Itai.."

Oh yeah, he remembered everything now. _"Stupid Sanji", _he thought angrily. He stretched again because his joints felt a little weak from sleeping on solid ground. Not that he minded it much since he can sleep even inside the tightest barrel and still feel well rested. It's just one of the many things that made him thankful for having a very flexible, rubber body. After his little exercise, he ran over to the railing and stared longingly at the town beyond. Damn it, he thought, I think I fell asleep for too long.

As being persistent was his first and foremost nature, he never considered for one second to abide by Sanji's warnings. Seriously, who in their right mind would let such adventure pass them by? Nobody, right? And definitely not Monkey D. Luffy. "Yosh!" he said to himself with overwhelming determination that can only be found in Luffy's spirit, "I'll go and explore that town no matter what and no one can stop me!". He grinned widely. He felt his energy and excitement rise from the upcoming adventure that he will soon encounter.

However, he had a little problem.. He placed his thumb on his chin as he tried to think and concentrate.

First was Nami. He frowned a little when he thought about her. He had to somehow convince her that he doesn't need to be kept under her surveillance without making her angry. He really doesn't like Nami's angry side. Based on experience, an angry Nami meant either a full body slaughter or, whenever luck decided to abandon him, one whole day of food deprivation. Sometimes she'd make it two days. When he complains about the unfairness of it all, she'd make it three. Luffy felt like puking, just thinking about it made his stomach cripple in fear. Aside from Nami's torturous punishments, Nami had her lucky charm: Sanji's unwavering support. He shivered at the thought of an angry Nami and an angry Sanji. Definitely not a good combination, he thought, even for his rubber body. Sometimes, he always felt a little thankful that Nami hadn't learned any type of haki or else he'd be at the bottom of the ocean in just a matter of seconds. He also remembered that Sanji brought the baby den den mushi in a desperate attempt to keep a close watch on him. He sighed. More problems for me, he thought. He made a mental note to hide the den den mushi inside his pants next time.

Second was money. He was totally broke. He looked at the town's glowing lights. The colorful, bright lights reminded him of something.. Something achingly like Saboady Archipelago's big amusement park, to be precise. His eyes widened as he began to realize that maybe the town was one big amusement park, just like Saboady! He definitely needed money now, no doubt about it. How was he supposed to buy food, toys and souvenirs? Most importantly, how will he ride the rides? He felt envious of Chopper, Usopp and the rest of his nakama. No doubt he's the only one in the crew who's broke. They always tried to remind him not to spend every penny in his pocket all at once but he never listened. He was kinda regretting it now. He looked down and thought harder, he'll have to find a way to acquire money no matter what.

Third was the lack of time. He clicked his tongue annoyingly. He hadn't meant to sleep that long. As a matter of fact, it wasn't his plan to fall asleep at all. It was like an unconscious effort made by his body. He figured that the depression and all the sulking fatigued him. Plus, his heart.. His heart felt weird, painful kind of weird.. He placed his hand over his beating heart.. "What's happening..", he said quietly to himself.

Whatever, he thought and he shook his head, this is not the time to be thinking about such unimportant matters. Nothing can be done on what's already done. He looked at the bottomless night sky. It must be past midnight already, but since he rarely had any sense of time, he wasn't really sure. He was certain though that he only had little time remaining to explore the town since he still had to get back before the others. With that in mind, he quickly tried to think of a way to solve his three problems.

Since he can't turn back time, he reckoned that he can't do anything about his third dilemma anymore. He just had to explore the town as fast as he can, make sure that he doesn't bump into any of his nakama and get back on the ship before any of them did. He frowned when he realized that it won't be as enjoyable as it's supposed to be. He knew that a rushed exploration can leave some rocks unturned. Well, he thought, it's better than nothing.

That left him with his first and second problem: Nami and money. In some odd circumstance, he realized that his two problems had some weird correlation with each other. The words Nami and money are always together, if not, then the world is surely coming to an end. He figured he can ask Nami for some money, although he doubted that she will give him any. But he had to at least try, his rides at the amusement park was at stake! He would be willing to have a one million beli debt, even billions if that's what it takes, just to have money for tonight. He would even be willing to endure Nami's beatings and punches. He can always ask her, he thought, it's always easy to ask someone for something. The right manner of asking was his problem, especially when he's dealing with someone as moody Nami. How will he ask Nami for money without getting her angry enough to call Sanji? If Sanji found out that he's doing something fishy, he'd be in big trouble. He said he would be willing to take Nami's punches but definitely not Sanji's haki-imbedded kicks. He needed to think of something and fast, his precious time is running out.

His mind drifted to occasions of sunny weather conditions aboard the Sunny when the girls would sit and talk on their beach chairs for hours wearing nothing but their underwear. He thought about how Robin always seems to get Nami do something for her without getting lumps on her head. Whether it's something simple like passing her the cup of coffee or even something like getting history books inside the library, he never saw Nami get mad at Robin for ordering her around. He tried to figure out what's so different between him and Robin, obviously except their gender, which made Nami act like a total demon to him but a complete angel to Robin. He tried to remember how Robin talks to Nami: "Nami-san, could you please pass the cup? Thank you." or "Nami-san, since you're on your way to the library, could you also get me a book? It would be nice to read under this wonderful sun."

Hmm, he thought. Was it because of her expression? Tone of voice? Was it the 'Nami-san?' What?, he wondered.

As he thought hard for answers he wasn't sure would come, his face turned a sickly shade of red and he began to perspire. When he felt like his mind was on the verge of blowing up, he stopped thinking and yelled in annoyance. Oh his poor brain, it was complete torture! "Ahhhh! Why is this so hard!", he whined to no one in particular. He scratched his head annoyingly. He was never fond of thinking things through. If he wanted something done then he'll do it, otherwise he won't. It was that simple. He doesn't understand why things had to be so complicated. He felt stupid and irritated when he realized that he spent more time thinking than actually doing something.

Whatever, he thought, I'll just do everything Robin does. He wasn't exactly sure if his plan of imitating Robin would work but he had no other choice. Besides, he knew that he's pretty good at imitating people. He can always make Usopp laugh his heart out whenever he tried to imitate Zoro, Sanji and Chopper. "It's gonna be fine", he assured himself. Although he's still a little scared and unsure, Luffy started looking for Nami. "Nami-san! Nami-saaaan! Where are you Nami-san?", he yelled in what he hoped as a perfect imitation of Robin's voice. He ran around the ship and strained his eyes against the dark to look for the navigator. He'll get that money no matter what it takes.

* * *

Nami had never felt so pathetic her whole life. Engulfed by complete darkness, she lay motionless on the hard and cold floorboards. Everything around her, the ceiling, the floor and the furniture, was a spinning blur. She felt terribly sleepy; nevertheless, she struggled to keep her eyes open. She feared that if she closed them, it would be the end of her. She figured that if she sat down, maybe she won't feel too drowsy. She groaned a little as she attempted to do so. She doesn't know why or how, but it felt like all of her muscles lost their ability to contract and move. Her whole body shook violently at the effort. The silence was deafening and for a second she was glad to hear her own heavy breathing, it gave her the assurance that she was still alive. She clenched her hands tightly and she felt a somewhat familiar sensation radiate from her clenched fists throughout her whole body. Curiously, she opened her hands wide and slowly placed them in front of her. Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. As unfocused her vision may be, there's no denying the thick, liquid ruby flowing freely from her right hand. She watched, with fearful eyes, as droplets of blood made a thin road of crimson down through her arms and into her bare legs. The red looked so alive against her white porcelain skin. She shivered at the sight.

She tried to look around the room but the mixture of darkness and blur made it almost impossible to discern anything. To her left, she saw what looked like her jeans and bikini halter top scattered across the floor. She struggled to remember how she got the wound, how she ended up on the floor, why and when did she remove her jeans.. She tried to remember, to think, but a head splitting headache stopped her from doing so. She clutched her head and she groaned, it was so painful. She could feel the blood in her hands make its way through her hair and scalp. Her entire body was so overwhelmed by the intoxicating effects of alcohol that she couldn't even describe the exact feeling she felt at the moment. It was like she was feeling everything all at the same time.

She felt tears form in her eyes and this time, she let them fall. With her blood stained hands still clutching her head, she cried like she never did before. No more holding back, she thought, no more pretending to be strong. Through the blur, darkness and tears, she can make out an opened logbook a few feet away from her. That fraction of her mind that was still capable of making coherent thoughts knew what was written inside that logbook. It was the same logbook that caused her misery for the past week: the strawhats logbook of adventures. She reached for it and placed it in her lap. A mixture of blood and tears tainted the white pages but she didn't care. She looked at the topmost corner on the page of her latest entry dated a week ago. When her searching eyes read the date, she cried harder. _"Bellemere", _she thought, _"Bellemere's death anniversary_". She hugged the logbook as heavy sobs escaped her lips.

She wasn't always like this every time Bellemere's death anniversary came. This year was just different because she forgot about it. If it hadn't been for her decision to update the logbook last week, she highly doubted that she would even remember it. The mere thought of her insolence filled her heart with spite. "How could I forget, how could I forget..?", she muttered in between her sobs. For the past week, she wallowed in self-guilt, hatred and anger. That one day that robbed her of childhood innocence, that one day that changed the course of her life for the worst and somehow, as unbelievable as it may sound, for the better. That one day when she felt the whole world suddenly fall down on her shoulders, when she was just a little girl trying to take on the filth of the world alone, taking responsibility of something so heavy, trying to put aside her pain for the lost of her mother and her fears for the sake of her hometown's liberation, striving to survive and live just so she could honor Bellemere's death wish when she wanted nothing more than just to give up.. All of her sufferings, Cocoyasi's agony and Bellemere's sacrifice, how could she just forget it?

She locked herself up in her room for a whole week, trying to convince herself that drowning in self-pity is a good enough punishment for her crime. But it hadn't felt enough and she knew that it never will be. She wanted this one night to punish herself one last time, until she's satisfied. Maybe then, she would find peace. She just needed to find a way to forgive herself before she could let herself go. This will be the last night of her mourning, she promised herself that. Tonight, she would let it all out, all her cooped up emotions.

She hugged the logbook tighter. She wanted to forgive herself, she wanted to free herself from all the misery and regrets.. But how? How could she possibly do that? Her face contorted in anger. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs and she wanted to lash out. She thought the alcohol would make everything easier but, much to her disappointment, it did not do much to help alleviate her deep-seated emotions. She needed something else, anything, to numb herself from feeling the enormous guilt eating away at her sanity. She shook her head violently, "Stop.. Stop.. I don't want to feel this anymore.. Stop.. STOP!". She threw the logbook as far as she could, clutched her head tightly and squeezed her eyes shut. She can't take it anymore, isn't there something, anything she could do?

"_Bellemere.. Bellemere.. Bellemere and blood.. Blood.. All those blood everywhere.."_

She shakily removed her hands from her head and stared at her right hand. Her wound managed to open again and she watched as the sickly shade of red trickled down to the floor. She heaved heavy breaths as memories of Bellemere's death came back to her. She remembered her limp, lifeless body covered with the same red that stained her hands, she remembered its horrible, metallic smell sting her nostrils as she hugged Bellemere's body on the ground, she remembered wondering why Bellemere's blood felt so warm while her skin felt so cold.. She remembered everything vividly, as if it happened just awhile ago, and every single detail that flashed through her mind cuts like a knife. "Stop it, please.. Stop..", she begged. She was a mess. Her long orange hair was glued to her sweaty and blood stained body, her face was covered with a mixture of tears, mucus and saliva and she reeked of alcohol. She was at her most depressing, pitiful state and she hated herself for it. She hated herself for being so weak.

"STOP!", she yelled. She thumped the floor with her hands as hard as she could and as many times as her tired body would let her. She didn't care if it bruised and she didn't care if her blood splattered all over the floor. She felt like she needed to feel hurt in a different manner. She wanted the physical pain to take her mind off her stormy emotions. When she felt no more pain, she continued to physically abuse herself by replacing her numb hands and arms with her head.

As the memories continued to harass her, she started to doubt herself. Slowly and unwillingly, she was engulfed in her world of insecurities. The memory of Bellemere's death reminded her of how weak she really was. All her life, she felt like she accomplished nothing, like she was a complete failure in everything. She was the girl who can't even protect the most important people in her life, the girl who's always on the sidelines during a fight, the girl who shivers at the mere mention of danger.. She was weak and she was a coward. Who needs someone as frail and vulnerable like her? She felt so worthless.

"What good am I for anybody?"

Does she even deserve to be a part of Luffy's crew? Luffy, the man who saved her, the man who helped her without hesitation, the one who freed her from her bleak existence.. And she wasn't even by his side when his brother died, she wasn't with him when he badly needed help: another failure and another proof that she can't and will never be able to protect anyone.

"I wasn't even there for him.. I wasn't.."

She banged her head on the floor harder, faster, until she felt blood ooze out from her forehead. It ached like hell but she did not stop. She felt like she needed to punish herself for being insignificant, for being nothing but a burden to everyone around her. Does anyone need her? Would it matter to anyone if she lives or die?

With every surge of emotion, she inflicted upon herself physical pain. She banged her head as hard as she could, she cried and sobbed as loud as she could and when she felt her head go a little numb, she banged harder. She didn't care about what would happen to her anymore, she didn't care about tomorrow, she didn't care about anything. All she wanted was pain and as long as her body would let her, she would not stop.

A firm, strong hand on her shoulder brought her back to her senses. She gasped in surprise, the hand felt surprisingly warm against her cold skin. She turned her head slowly and looked up at its owner. Her eyes widened in shock. It was dark and the moonlight from the opened door at the end of the room did little to illuminate his features but there was no mistaking that familiar muscular outline and to whom it belongs to. There was no mistaking that straw hat. _"When did that door open..?"_

"Luffy..", she croaked. Her throat felt dry from all the sobbing and crying that talking took some effort. For a moment, she forgot all about her private war as her mind tried to make sense of what was happening. Why was he here? What was he doing here? When did he get here? How much did he see? She was so caught up with her inner demons that she didn't even notice him enter the room. A gush of wind passed them and slammed the door shut. Nami gasped and gave a little jolt of surprise at the loud noise. Once again, she was engulfed in complete darkness, only this time, she was not alone. As her eyes tried to adjust, she asked him quietly, "What are you doing here?"

Luffy did not answer; instead, he removed his hand from her shoulder and started fiddling with something around his waist. Nami furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. It was pitch-black and the alcohol still had some of its effects on her that all she could see was his blurry, shadowy outline. She heard something like fabric rubbing against fabric but before she could ask him what he was doing, she felt him move and kneel down in front of her. She moved back a little, a bit surprised at his actions.

At an eye to eye level, Nami was finally able to make out his features. His face lacked its usual goofy smile and was replaced by a stern frown, his eyes were hard, cold, serious and his gaze scrutinizing that she felt her whole body cower and tremble underneath it. _"Those eyes..", _she thought. He probably couldn't see much of her due to the lack of light but somehow, she felt as if he could see everything: her physical body, her emotions, her soul and all her humiliating insecurities. She bowed her head low and fumbled to hug herself in a vain attempt to cover her bare chest. He doesn't need to see her puffy eyes, her exposed torso, her wounded hand and forehead.. He doesn't need to see first-hand how pathetic and helpless she really was. Monkey D. Luffy, who was always so strong and determined, doesn't need to see such an extreme state of weakness and vulnerability.

"_I don't want him to see me like this.. Not him.. Anyone but the one who saved me, anyone but Luffy.."_

She felt fear consume her. Her insecurities were like the devil's tongue, telling her things that she didn't want to hear, making her believe of things she knew were lies, squeezing her already battered heart with paranoia.. She felt scared, so scared at the concept of Luffy seeing her in such a wretched state. What if he realized that she's really nothing but a useless liability, a burden? Hell, what if he wanted her gone? What if he wanted another navigator? A navigator more skilled, more intelligent and more powerful than her? Someone who can help him reach his dreams more than she could ever possibly do?

"_No, anything but that.. I don't want to lose them, they're my family.. No! Stop staring at me.."_

She felt embarrassed for letting Luffy see her this way, angry for allowing her fears get the better of her, scared at the possibility of losing her place as part of his crew and tremendously sad for her self-pity. She wanted to be alone again, to hurt herself again just so she could numb the pain and fears once more. She wanted Luffy to stop staring at her and she wanted to push him away, as far away from her as possible.

She was about to tell him off when, without warning, he grabbed her right hand. She gasped in surprise and tried to pry away from him but his grip was too strong. "Don't touch me", she said sternly. His touch felt so foreign against her skin and she shivered at the sudden warmth it gave her. She wanted him to leave her alone but she can't deny the comfort she felt the moment his hand met hers. She doesn't want that, she doesn't want to show him more signs of weakness. "Please, don't touch me..", she begged. However, Luffy did not listen and just tightened his grip on her, as if trying to convey dominance over the situation. He averted his gaze from her eyes to her bleeding hand. After examining it a little, he proceeded to wipe it with a cloth that Nami didn't notice he held at his other hand. Nami's eyes widened in shock at his actions and she was further surprised when she realized that it was not just any cloth he's holding: it was his yellow sash.

They shared a few minutes of silence as Luffy continued to wipe and put pressure on her bleeding hand. Nami's shock stunned her enough to stay put. To see Luffy do something which requires a certain amount of concentration made Nami realize that no matter how rough and aggressive he may be, he was still capable of doing something so gentle and delicate. It's just that she always thought of him as someone who associated everything with brute force that she never really considered that his hands were not only meant for throwing punches and creating havoc. She felt a little ashamed at her train of thoughts; it was like she was assuming that Luffy was nothing more but a ruthless killing machine. She had to remember that these same hands were the ones who gave her life and dreams back to her and also to all her nakama and every person he helped. She felt all the more pathetic at the fact that she even needed to remind herself something of great significance.

Her thoughts were cut off as something warm trickled down from her forehead to her cheeks and, finally, to the corner of her mouth. She made a face when she tasted the salty and metallic flavor of her own blood and tried to spit it out. She felt like puking.

Luffy, sensing her discomfort, grabbed the other end part of his sash and wiped the blood adorning her face. He squinted his eyes and tried to find where the blood came from. He inched closer to her to get a better look. Nami made a small incomprehensible noise at his actions and tried to back away. She couldn't see him properly but she knew that his face was just inches away from hers. His hot breath tickled her cool cheeks and she felt her heart beat faster. She inhaled deeply and involuntarily caught a whiff of his breath and scent. His scent was of dirt, grass and sea, something that was not unusual for someone who likes to spend most of their time outdoors and his breath was a mixture of tonight's dinner (although the smell of meat remained dominant). She felt light headed. She knew that his lips were close, too close for comfort. She could almost hear the loud thumping of her heart and her lungs heaved heavy breaths, almost as if she was gasping for air, her throat felt constricted and she stared sweating. Her senses wanted more, more of him. What was happening to her?

His breath was inviting, so inviting..

Luffy started dabbing her forehead with his sash.

His warmth was comforting, calming..

Luffy started to say something but she can't seem to understand what he's saying.

"_What's happening.. to me..",_ she thought. If she would move a little bit forward, their lips would surely meet. Her heart was like an amplified drum on her ears. Just a little bit forward.. She found it extremely hard to breathe. A little more, just a little more..

Wait a minute. What the hell was she doing?

Without warning, she pushed him away with much force and Luffy fell flat on his butt with a loud thud.

"Itai.. What the hell Nami?!"

"Get out of here Luffy, now! Leave me alone!"

She can't believe that she was just about to.. To.. Ugh, she can't even say it to herself! It's the alcohol, it must be the alcohol. "Yeah, definitely just the alcohol", she muttered to herself as she tried to steady her rapid heartbeat. She tried to clear her mind as she struggled to fill her lungs with much needed air seeing that she seemed to lose the ability to breathe awhile ago. She inhaled deeply, thinking that maybe oxygen deprivation was another reason for her momentary craziness.

Luffy, on the other hand, was really hurt. Literally hurt. He's rubber, a little thud on his ass wasn't suppose to hurt. He soon realized that it was not his butt that was hurting but his hand. He looked at it and saw a long piece of glass buried deep in his hand.

"Huh? What's this? Where did this come from?"

He pulled the glass out, wincing only a little, and immediately his hand started to bleed. He threw the piece of glass away from him but when his hand came in contact with the floor again, he felt another piercing pain.

"Ouch! What the-"

He looked down and saw a pile of broken glass underneath his hand. _"So this is where it came from..", _he thought. Maybe Nami was playing with them? Well, whatever. He pushed the shards of glass as far away as possible. Then he turned his attention to Nami once more.

To be honest, he doesn't get what Nami was doing. Maybe she was playing? Why was she naked? Does her game require her to be naked? Why was she bleeding? Why was she banging her head on the floor? It's a bit rough, he thought, this game that she's playing. He pouted a little. It's unfair, she would always scold him whenever he played wrestling with Usopp and Chopper, and now she does this?

His eyes finally adjusted to the dark, enough to see Nami clearly. His eyes widened with worry when he saw her forehead full of blood. He grabbed her wrist and started to run towards the door.

"H-Hey!", Nami yelled. What the hell got into him? "Let go of me!", she said, tugging her wrist free from his somewhat sticky and wet hand.

"Chopper, you need Chopper! Why are you playing such a weird game anyway?", Luffy said. He kinda panicked when he saw so much blood oozing out of her forehead that he forgot that Chopper and the others weren't back yet from their trip to town.

Nami furrowed her eyebrows. What was he talking about? What game? "No, I don't need Chopper! Get out Luffy! Leave me alone!", she yelled at him.

He grabbed her wrist again with his sticky hand. Why was his hand sticky? She cringed as she thought of the disgusting things Luffy must've touched. Luffy managed to make her stand by force but as soon as she did, her surroundings started to twist and turn. She felt light headed and she fell down on her knees with a loud thud. She clutched her head, everything was spinning and it ached so much.

"Nami! Nami, are you okay?", Luffy asked. He crouched down beside her.

Nami did not respond. She stopped clutching her head and looked at Luffy. His eyes were filled with worry. She wanted to be alone, she doesn't want him to see her like this.

"You need Chopper, I'll take you to Chopper", he said.

Nami sighed. How could she get him to leave? "For the last time Luffy, please. Please leave me alone. I really, really don't want you here", she begged. _"I don't want you to see me like this.."_

"Demo Nami, your forehead won't stop bleeding. I'll take you to Chopper, you need Chopper..", he whined. He knew that Nami wasn't herself for the past week and to see her doing something weird again concerned him. When he saw her join them during dinner, he seriously thought that she's okay already. It seemed that he thought wrong. All thoughts of going to town vanished from his mind. Right now, his nakama is more important.

Nami started to feel angry. Damn it, she felt extremely humiliated. And she knows it's wrong, but she can't help but to blame it on Luffy. Why can't he just leave her the hell alone?!

"Leave me alone Luffy! I don't need Chopper! I need you to get out!", she yelled.

Luffy seemed undaunted by her sudden outburst. "Demo Nami-"

"Shut up Luffy!"

She needed to lift the burden in her heart so desperately that she felt like she wanted to transfer all her frustration, guilt and anger to him. Before she knew it, she started to blame Luffy for everything she felt.

"Are you happy now Luffy?!", she shouted with as much spite as she could muster.

Luffy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Eh? Wha-?"

"Is this what you want?! You want to see how weak I am?! You want to see how pathetic I am?! You want me to know that I'm no good for anybody?! You fucking idiot! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

She started to cry, she screamed, she went ballistic and threw punches at him and it irritated her to no end knowing that he couldn't feel any pain from her punches because of his stupid rubber body.

"Wa-wait, Nami-", Luffy said, trying to catch her hands. He's confused and worried, what the hell was she talking about?

"You stupid fucking moron! I hate you! I HATE YOU! Why can't you just leave me alone, I told you to leave me alone!"

"But you need Chopper-"

"I DON'T! Why won't you listen to me, even just this once?! Why do you always need to be so persistent?! Now you see how weak I truly am, I bet you're just itching to find a new navigator! One who's smarter, more beautiful, more reliable, stronger, one who can protect everyone, one who can protect you! Damn you Luffy! Why did you even made me your nakama in the first place when you know I don't deserve it Luffy!"

Luffy's face turned into a serious frown. He caught her wrists and she tried hard to wriggle her way out of his grasp.

"Let go of me!"

Luffy just tightened his grip more.

It was futile to escape from his grasp. She sobbed heavily and turned her head away from him. She doesn't want to see the disappointment in his eyes.

"Can you see now, Luffy?", she said, her voice sad and full of sorrow. "Nobody needs someone like me.. The crew deserves a better navigator, you deserve better. Someone who can protect you guys.. When Ace.. When your brother died, I.. I wasn't even.. I.." She cried harder as her failures consumed her once more.

Luffy's face went blank when he heard his brother's name. What's Ace got to do with anything? He doesn't understand what she's saying and he doesn't know what was happening anymore. The crew doesn't need protecting, as a matter of fact she doesn't need to protect anyone, that's his job. That's the whole essence of his training for 2 years. And why would she think he needs a navigator? That's just stupid, he already has a navigator and it's her. Maybe she forgot about it?

His mind was full of questions but he was certain of one thing: Nami's sad, Nami's crying. And he promised that Pinwheel Ossan that he would never let Nami cry again. He broke his promise and he felt bad about it. He wondered how he can stop Nami from crying. Something's wrong with her, he just doesn't know what, but Chopper would know. He needs to get her to Chopper.

"What are you talking about Nami? You're talking nonsense", he told her, his voice tinged with concern.

"DAMN IT LUFFY! LOOK AT ME!" She turned to face him and her angry light brown orbs met his worry filled eyes. "I'm a failure! I'm weak, I'm a coward and I can't protect anyone! I wasn't even there for you when Ace died, I can't be there for you like you are to me when I needed someone! Nobody needs me-"

"Hahahaha! You're funny, Nami!"

She looked at him in disbelief. He had this stupid grin on his face and he was laughing his heart out. She furrowed her eyebrows, was he even listening to her? She bowed her head and she felt her anger rise. Here she was pouring her heart out to him and all the brainless dolt can do was laugh at her? She felt like crying again, she felt like he doesn't even care about her.

"I HATE YOU LUF-"

"I need you", he said, cutting her off. Then he laughed again. "I need you, Nami!", he smiled at her.

Nami looked back up at his face and saw him smiling warmly down at her. She felt her tears fall.

"Why..?", she asked him weakly.

"Nani?", he looked at her like she just said something stupid. Seriously, he thought, it looks like she really forgot that she's my navigator.. Or was she just playing stupid with me? "You're my navigator Nami, you're my nakama! I couldn't be Pirate King without you, I'd get lost, that's why! Hahaha! You're saying and asking stupid things Nami, hahaha!"

"But Robin could also navigate for you, you could trust Robin to-"

"I trust you", he said. To emphasize his point, he reached for his hat and placed it on top of her head. "Robin's not my navigator, you are. Robin's my archeologist", he grinned.

"You need me, Luffy ? You trust me? You really do..?"

"Of course I do! Haha!", he told her without hesitation.

She felt like her heart was about to burst. It's amazing, she thought, how he can say the right words at exactly the right time. Luffy did nothing but to state the obvious but somehow she felt like it was all the assurance she needs. Just like that, all her demons, doubts and insecurities vanished. If Luffy believed in her enough to trust her with his most prized possession, then she should too.

"Now, let's get you to Chopper", Luffy said. He let go of her wrists and started to stand up. However, he stumbled back down to the floor when he felt Nami's hands grab his vest.

"H-hey Nami-"

His words were cut off as Nami dived at him, making him lie down on the floor with a loud thud with her on top of him. He furrowed his brows, what's her problem now? "Oi, Nami- Mmf". Suddenly, she crashed her lips upon his.

Nami kissed him fiercely and passionately before pulling away. She pulled away hesitantly, as if she wanted the kiss to linger a little bit longer. She could feel both of their hearts thumping against their chest as she looked him in the eye. His expression was blank, unreadable. She figured that it must've been his first time as Luffy was the least person to be interested about intimacy. Still, she felt a little bit of pride well up inside her for stealing his first kiss. Slowly she lowered her head and his face twitched for a second. She smiled, he must've thought that she would kiss him again. And even though she did want to kiss him again, she refrained from doing so. She had to tell him something first. She lowered her head further to his ear and whispered, "Thank you, Luffy.. Thank you so much.."

"Wh-what are we doing, Nami?", Luffy asked. He felt weird. His heart was beating rapidly, but it wasn't painful like the one he felt before. He wasn't sure what Nami did to him but it felt.. Well, good. Even though it's kinda gross because her tongue was all over his mouth, he can't deny that it felt surprisingly nice.

Nami looked at him again and frowned when she saw is troubled expression, like he's trying to figure something out. The kiss was nothing more than a big token of appreciation, a need to express her immense gratitude. However, it was taking all her self-control to not go all the way with him. His scent, his breath, his warmth, the way his bare chest touches her own.. It was all too much for her to take and she can't help herself. She's only human like any normal person and so it would only be natural for her to feel this way when she's within such close proximity with a man.

Especially with a man like Luffy, who had done so many tremendous things for her that she was certain no other man can do.

She wanted to kiss him again. Should I?, she thought.

"Nami, I-I feel weird.. Could you get off me now?", he told her with furrowed eyebrows.

She doesn't want to get off of him, she wants him and she wants him now. Maybe it's the alcohol talking or maybe it's because of her emotions gone haywire, she doesn't know and to be honest, she's beginning not to care. "Luffy..", she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"You need me, right?", she asked.

"Uh.. Yeah.. Um, Nami get off of me..", he answered. He still felt weird and it seemed that the longer she stayed on top of him, the faster his heart palpitates.

She kissed him again but softly this time, all sense of reason gone. Luffy closed his eyes tightly, half expecting her tongue to glide its way inside his mouth again. He took a deep breath through his nose and caught her tangy mikan like smell on her cascading hair and strong alcohol on her breath. He started to feel something inside his pants. It's all so weird.

Nami decided to take it slow so as not to overwhelm him. It felt so good to kiss him, to feel his muscular body underneath her own, to let his scent cloud her senses, oh how she wanted this. She started to caress him, to feel more of him. Her left hand went up to bury itself within his charcoal black hair while her other hand went from stroking his cheek to his scarred chest.

"_This scar", _she thought, _"Ace.."_

"_If I could just take away all his pain.."_

She removed her mouth from his lips and started to kiss his jaw line, eventually coming to linger on his neck.

Her lips traveled further down to his clavicle.

"Na-Nami..", he muttered, his voice a little husky. The weird feeling was taking over. What was she doing? He still doesn't know what was happening and he felt confused as to why Nami was putting her mouth all over him but..

"_Take your pain away.. Like how you took mine.."_

But..

Nami moved lower and started to trace his scar with her kisses.

But..

Nami's hands glided across his chest and went lower, lower.. Stopping just above the button of his pants.

But his body doesn't want her to stop. He craved for more, though for what he wasn't exactly sure. The weird feeling made him all warm, sweaty and out of breath. His pants started to feel tight as he felt himself getting hard, which was weird because it only ever does that every morning or whenever he wakes up from a nap or whenever he felt the need to pee. And right now, he wasn't feeling either of the three. He doesn't even know what he's feeling, so he decided that it's a mystery feeling. How could Nami do that to him?

Nami moved a little bit lower, just above his navel, and he felt her stomach accidentally brush the bulge in his pants as she went down. He gasped as waves of pleasure consumed him. What the hell was that? He doesn't know but he wanted more. More of her kisses, more of her touch and caresses, more of Nami.

He wondered if she would do that thing with her stomach again. He wanted her to but he kept quiet about it, fearing that she might get angry and stop whatever she was doing to him. He didn't want that. So instead, he stared at the dark ceiling above him and laid still, letting Nami do her magic, letting her satiate all the weird feeling made him crave for.

Nami was in bliss herself. To be honest, she was quite surprised and pleased to hear and feel some kind of response from Luffy. It was the crew's private joke that Luffy was asexual but.. Well, judging from the stiff and hard member poking her stomach at the moment, it seemed that the joke was on them after all.

She went back up to kiss his lips and she heard him gasp, louder this time, when her stomach managed to rub against his sex once more. She caught a glimpse of his face before lowering her head to his mouth. She smiled, the look on his face was enough to let her know that she was doing a fine job pleasuring him.

Luffy never felt anything like this before, ever, not even when he's eating tons of meat. Her tongue was all over his mouth again and even though it also felt good, the thing she does with her stomach was better. He placed his hands on her hips and tried to put her stomach down there again.

Nami moaned when she felt his hands touch her bare flesh. She never would've thought that Luffy had it in him. Maybe it was his instincts taking over. Maybe. But she doesn't care, she craved for his touch. She deepened their kiss and let her hands travel down, reaching his pants. She unbuttoned it with ease and, when access was made available, continued to move her hand inside.

Luffy gave a jolt of pleasure when he felt Nami's fingers encircle him. "Nami.." What was she doing?

She lowered her head to his ear once more and whispered, "Stay still, Luffy.."

Luffy closed his eyes as her hands started to devour him. He gasped, he moaned and he squirmed underneath her. Her hands there, everywhere.. It was driving him crazy.

Something started to build up inside him but he doesn't know what. All he knows was that it felt so incredibly good. He felt like he was going to blow up and he realized that he wanted her hand to move faster, faster and harder.

"Nami.. Na-Nami.."

Nami knew what he wanted. She tightened her grip on him and started to move her hand as fast as she could, ignoring the strain it caused.

Luffy closed his eyes tightly, arched his back and moaned louder. He felt high. Subconsciously, his hips started to move in accordance to her rhythm. He felt close, so close, he felt as if he would explode any moment now.

Suddenly, Nami stopped. Luffy opened his eyes and tried to catch his breath as he felt the pressure building up inside him slowly dissipate from her sudden halt. Why did she stop?

They stared at each other for a moment, both of them gasping for air, before Nami dived in again for another kiss. She can't take it anymore, she wanted him. She wanted him inside her.

A few seconds later, all clothes were discarded (not that Nami had much clothes on in the first place). Luffy was a little irritated at her for stopping so abruptly, he felt achingly deprived. However, the lingering pleasure he felt still remained dominant, leaving his mind in a daze, that he did not even stop Nami's attempt of removing his clothes.

She was ready and she looked straight at his half lidded eyes as she positioned her entrance on top of him.

She wanted to say something to him, to assure him of what they were doing and to let him know what they were getting themselves into and she tried to think of anything that could justify their actions. Because even in her drunken state, she knew that there will be big consequences to face when tomorrow comes.

But as she felt Luffy's hesitant hands slowly made their way back to her hips, she figured that it don't matter that much anymore.

"Luffy.."

She let him inside and she gasped as new sensations bombarded her. She tried to etch into her memory the feel of him inside her, knowing that moments like this may never happen again. She hugged him tightly as their sweat covered bodies rubbed against each other.

She looked at him but his eyes were closed. His mouth was slightly opened as he savored the pleasure he felt with her. She felt his hands gingerly move from her hips to hug her as they rocked back and forth in a rhythmic pattern. She rested her forehead against his before kissing him, her heart overflowing with all the love she felt for him.

It doesn't matter what tomorrow would bring, what matters is that they're together. Nami knew that with Luffy by her side, she would conquer anything, from the smallest to the biggest of problems. He would never leave her, he would never let her be alone again and he would always need her.

And trust her, she thought, as his straw hat fell from her head and landed on the floor beside them as they moved.

They held each other tightly and drowned themselves in their passion as they begin their dance.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Okay before you guys kill me because of my super duper loooooong time of not updating, I just want you guys to know that this chapter is 19 pages long with a total of 10,331 words. So I hope that will somehow make it up to you and ease your anger. :)

I really, really worked hard on this. This is a chapter solely for the Luffy and Nami. I really had a hard time writing Luffy because he's such a hard character to write, I'm always stopping to think if what I'm making him do and think of is within his character so it really took me a long time. And writing Nami in such a depressing state was hard too but I hope I pulled it off without comprising her characteristics too much. Please tell me if they're OOC.

I can't believe that I actually managed to write an M-rated scene. It's a whole new area for me so I'm sorry if it's not that good. It was my intention not to make the words too vulgar because as what ImTheBlackKnight stated, I also feared that the story might lose its meaning if I did. I seriously considered whether or not to make this M-Rated but I figured that it would be a nice challenge for me to write something that I've never done before. So to ImTheBlackKnight, if you feel that this story is not anymore worthy of your attention because of this chapter, I am really, really sorry.

Well, I can always remove the M-Rated scene if you guys really don't like it, please just say so in your review. :)

I know it might be a little too late to be stating this just now, but the setting of the story is post-timeskip, New World. I'm only watching the anime so I really have no clue what Punk Hazard is all about just yet. I'm an unemployed nurse (seriously it's so hard to get a job here in my country when you're a nurse) so I really don't have any money to buy the manga.

Thank you for all of those who reviewed, followed and made this story their favorite. It made me real happy.

Last but not the least, please forgive me for the wrong spelling/grammar/punctuation in this chapter.


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